Revenge
by PikaSixJoy
Summary: Seth Rollins' betrayal of The Shield shocked the entire WWE Universe but what if there was a lot more to it that what was seen on TV? What if, for The Architect, he had meant do to what he did? This is more than just a betrayal. This is Revenge. Part of the Seven Deadly Sins series.
1. Adapt or Perish

**AN: Hey guys! PikaSixJoy here with a brand new story. It's the first story I've done from a, I guess, a villain's POV.**

**This is going to be part of the Seven Deadly Sins series featuring a number of stories by my closest friends so be sure to check out RonTheRonin's 'Pride', 'Envy' by MellyxBrooks, 'Insanity' by Cody'sxFavouritexGirl and 'Temptation' by xeloquentangelx for the full series. **

**Here's chapter one!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with WWE or any Superstar/Diva used except any OC's if any are used. **

**Chapter One**

_Adapt or Perish. _

Those words had stayed with the youngest member of The Shield since Triple H had delivered them to the world with another great promo. If there was one thing Seth Rollins could give Hunter credit for, it was his promos. He wasn't called the King of Kings for nothing. Whether he was talking to John Cena or Stone Cold or even Vickie Guerrero, he always hit the spot with whatever point he had to make, personal or business wise, and the speech he had given at the last Raw before Extreme Rules was no different. Usually, the two-toned Davenport native didn't pay much attention to the promos the COO felt so inclined to deliver week in and week out. To him, they pretty much said the same thing. But the latest one had stuck with him, for reasons that still remained unknown. Whatever the reason, it had forced Seth to re-evaluate his current position. Where did he currently stand within the group who had dominated the WWE since their debut back in 2013. They had Slammy awards, title and PPV wins under their vests. They had taken out Evolution, one of the greatest stables in the history WWE, not once but twice, and it seemed like they couldn't be in ap better place right now. The WWE Universe loved them, but Seth couldn't help but feel like something was missing. He just couldn't just picture what.

As he sat and tried to unlock his brain, it hit him. He felt used. Used like a plastic bag and thrown into the waste. He had carried them, leaded them, guided them to where they were and not once in the last year and a half had either Dean or Roman thought to thank him. It got his blood boiling just thinking about it and it wasn't until The Shield's match at Elimination Chamber did it really hit the young wrestler. The match was a going well until Dean and Bray had started brawling in the crowd, everything from there in effectively went downhill. Only leader of WWE's rising family returned and Dean was nowhere to be seen handicap match, and as powerful and as skilled as Roman and Seth were they couldn't handle the power of 3 beefy men. First they took Seth out with double chokeslam through to the announce table leaving The Architect in a state that, by the time he had come around from, would be too late to do anything. With Dean gone and Seth out for the count, the Wyatt's turned to the powerhouse that was Roman Reigns. The anticipation of the crowd watching as the Wyatt's surrounded the ring whilst Roman stood alone in the middle of the squared circle left members of the WWE Universe unable to watch. Some were clenching the edge of their seats so hard their fingers were aching while others couldn't move because of the anticipation. It was electric.

Two forearm smashes and a Samoan Drop later, it looked as though the rising star had the upper hand. That was until Bray, out of nowhere, took all the momentum Roman had with a running shoulder block and the once roaring crowd were now silent as they watched the Wyatt's continue their beat down of The Shield's most famed member. Roman somehow managed to find the strength to stand after a spinning clothesline from Harper which gave the crowd the slightest amount of hope, but in true Wyatt fashion, Bray ended any chance of Roman recovering with a harsh boot to the face which silenced the crowd for a second time.

"This is the end!", Bray screamed as he kissed Roman's head and ended the match with a Sister Abigail.

Yet, something in Roman told him to fight, to hold on and he did exactly that. Throwing Bray into Harper, Roman found the strength and dug deep to fight back and do what he could, but it just wasn't enough. He lost sight of Bray and that was what cost him. Bray took Roman out with the Sister Abigail and three seconds later, the world knew that the Wyatt's had done what they had set out to do. Take out the Hounds of Justice.

* * *

Seth burst into the dressing room and threw his vest on across the floor. He sighed and rested both his hands on the table and closed his eyes. The Shield had suffered one of their worst defeats since they had debuted. Dean had disappeared leaving his teammates to endure a beat down from the Wyatt Family. Roman, being the toughest of the group, tried to regain some of their composure and put up a good fight but in the end it just wasn't enough.  
"Tough match", Roman said, resting a comforting hand as he passed Seth.  
All Seth could do was nod. He was waiting for Dean to get back and figure out why he had disappeared during their match. Not to mention, the pain he had endured after being taken down by a hillbilly version of Luigi and man in sheep mask. His back was hurting, his arms were aching, his legs were struggling to hold his weight and he had only endured a fraction of what Roman had. At least, their pain was pretty much on the same scale. Seth spun and caught eyes with Dean as he entered the room, hand rubbing the back of his head.  
"Look, you guys, I told you, I brawled into the crowd and somebody knocked me out in the back of the head with something metal."

Seth's eye raged as he listened to Dean's excuse for ditching them during their match. He couldn't believe the crap spewing from Dean's mouth.

"That's bullshit and you know it man, I'm not buying it one bit!", Seth snapped immediately, "You got knocked out way worse in Dragon Gate and the indies so why are you, all of a sudden, complaining about it?"

"You wanna take the shot I did, huh Seth? You wanna know what it feels like?", Dean snapped, his wet hair flying around as he turned his attention to Roman, who hadn't said a word, "You wanna say something to my face, big man?"

Roman didn't need to say anything the tension and atmosphere between the three already said enough. Dean looked over at Seth who held his stare, glaring down the man he saw as his brother. Seth's fists clenched as he tried to hold himself back from launching himself at him. He was angry and that was something he had made clear. Roman stood there and watched as his two friends stood a few metres apart. The Samoan Thor thought for a moment. Was this Bray Wyatt's true goal? Was this the creation of something people had said was already a problem between The Shield? What was the point of saying anything and adding fuel to the fire? He was just as pissed with Dean as Seth was and his story sounded like bullshit but there was no point in fighting about it. It wasn't going to make anything better.

"You know what, screw this I'm outta here", Dean said after a moment's silence before grabbing his bag and heading for the exit leaving Roman and Seth alone.

Neither Roman or Seth said anything to each other. What was the point? Enough had already been said. It wasn't as if they had a problem with each other as the two were clearly on the same page, or at least it seemed that way.

"See you tomorrow man", Seth parted with no intentions of looking back.

Seth heard Roman sigh and a part of him sighed with him. He could feel the pain Roman was going through, the majority of it was physical but quite a lot of it was mental. As Seth made his way back down the hall, a small woman skipped past him, her Dark Brown hair whipping his cheek as she passed. Seth turned and watched AJ as she headed into the dressing room and he frowned. What business did AJ Lee, of all the Divas, have with Roman Reigns? Pushing the thought aside Seth headed down the hall and out into the car park. The journey alone gave him time to think. A lot had happened tonight, a lot of it was still sinking in but one thing was clear. The Shield wasn't going to be the same.

* * *

Seth ran a hand through his wet hair and pulled it back into its usual style. One last glance at the locker in the changing rooms and he was ready to go. He had just finished a two hour workout in the gym. He felt like he needed let off some steam…okay, a LOT of steam. Dean's disappearance during their match Sunday night had gotten to him, yet at the same time he felt like maybe Dean was telling the truth. He knew that man was crazy but, surely he wouldn't make up a lie like that. Would he? It frustrated Seth so much that he had turned up to the gym 10 minutes before it even opened, and he never did that. Pulling out his phone, Seth sat down on a bench just behind him and dialled Roman's number.

"Listen, I have an idea", Seth said before Roman even got the chance to say 'hello'.

"Right…", Roman replied, the confusion clear in his voice.

Seth gave a light smile and took a moment to figure out the best way to phrase what he wanted to say. He could tell Roman was surprised by Seth's call, to be honest, Seth was as well. He hadn't spoken to Dean or Roman all week, he was still too angry about being put through an announce table by Harper and Rowan, he had spent the first two days of the week tucked up in bed but what happened during that match had been on his mind for a long while.

"I was thinking we meet up before Smackdown, get ourselves back on the right page, if you get what I mean", Seth suggested.

The silence on the other end made Seth's stomach drop. He wondered if Roman would even agree to such a suggestion. The longer he waited, the more Seth began to wonder if Roman was still on the phone. The Authority had done one thing and that was change the focus point of The Shield on its head. Instead of thinking how to take down The Authority and getting payback on the Wyatt's, they were now at leatherheads. Perhaps it was time? They had been together for so long, that maybe it was time to go their separate ways. Seth quickly shook the thought out of his head as he knew what it would mean. The breakup of one of the most, if not THE most dominant stable in the history of the WWE, and Seth, as much as he was looking forward to that day, couldn't allow the group to break up on these terms.

"Roman?", Seth asked, after no reply.

"Okay", was the reply, confusing the peacekeeper of The Shield.

"Huh?"

"I said okay."

Seth smiled and quickly gave Roman the details and the time and a place. He decided to call Dean and got halfway through dialling the man's number before cancelling the call. He still hadn't calmed down enough to speak to him yet. That was something that was just going to wait.

_Meet outside the Toyota Centre before Smackdown. Need to talk. Seth. _

He figured being blunt and simple was better; after all, it was Dean's style. Simple and effective. Whether he turned up, however, was a different matter entirely.

Seth picked up his bag and headed for the lobby. As he reached the reception, he spotted someone standing at the vending machine and sighed. Dave Batista picked up a Coke from the bottom draw and opened it. He turned and adjusted his glasses.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is", Batista said, taking a swig.

Seth sighed and carried on walking. He had nothing to say to them, he had other things on his mind. He reached for the main doors and Randy put a hand of the glass, pushing it shut.

"We need to talk", he said.

Seth looked at the Viper and frowned.

"We don't need to do anything", he replied, "Anything we have to say to each other can be and will be said in the ring."

Seth reached for the other door but Batista leaned against the glass, blocking Seth in. They were trying to intimidate him. Scare him so that he'd comply with whatever they demanded from him. Whatever that was Seth wasn't in the mood to find out.

"If anything", he continued, "That's the only time we're ever going to talk to each other. Until then get out of my way."

Randy looked at Batista and laughed. He wasn't going to let an NXT rookie talk to him like that. He was the "Face of the WWE" and there was no way in hell he was going to let Seth Rollins, of all people, end this conversation.

"This conversation ends when we say it does", Randy told him, Batista nodding in agreement.

Seth took a step back, he could see where this was going and he couldn't be bothered to deal with these two goofs right now. Just as he went to open his mouth another voice beat him to it.

"Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but this looks like you two are ganging up on "little old Seth" here."

The three men turned to see none other than Divas champion Paige standing behind them, arms folded. Seth rolled his eyes and sighed. It was moments like this that made people think he was the 'baby' of The Shield. When, in fact, he was the complete opposite.

"And what if we are?", Batista huffed, clearly annoyed with Paige's interruption.

"Well if that's the case", Paige smiled as she pulled out her phone, "You won't mind me calling the cops and getting you arrested for assault then."

Randy smirked and headed over to young Brit and stopped right in front of her.

"You wouldn't dare", Randy threatened.

"Oh, I would. You don't scare me Orton and neither does your skinny jeans friend over there", Paige told him, gesturing to Batista who went to move.

Randy held up his hand for Dave to stop and held Paige's gaze before taking a few steps back. He turned and headed over to Seth, leaning towards his ear.

"This isn't over", he said before heading up past the receptionist.

"You're one lucky kid", Batista said, shoving Seth out of his way.

Paige waited until Triple H's lackeys were out of sight before heading over to Seth.

"You okay?", she asked to which Seth nodded.

"I was fine, Paige", Seth snapped, yanking the door open in frustration.

"You're welcome", Paige joked, shaking her head and heading out into the street.

By the time Paige had caught up with Seth, he was sitting on a bench, with his head in his hands.

"Something on your mind?"

"You could say that, yeah", Seth told her, as Paige sat down next to him.

He figured it was better to be vague rather than spill his guts out. He couldn't have anyone else involved. His main priority right now was repairing the broken bonds within The Shield, having to worry about anyone else was something he couldn't afford to have on his mind right now. Paige could read Seth like a book, she had been able to ever since their days back in FCW. They had become quite good friends and had remained so even after they both were drafted to NXT. So she could tell when he wasn't telling her everything.

"Alright, I can see you're not going to tell me, but whatever it is, fix it soon, Seth. Because if Evolution find out they won't stop until the entire world knows about it and once that happens you c-"  
Seth's phone beeped and pulled it out to see he had a text message.

_Fine._

Despite only get a one-word answer from Dean, Seth couldn't help but smile. It gave him a small amount of hope that maybe; just maybe, this meeting was going to go the way Seth had thought.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed the first chatper. More to come soon, please review and favourite as it really helps out. Be sure to check out RonTheRonin's 'Pride', 'Envy' by MellyxBrooks, 'Insanity' by Cody'sxFavouritexGirl and 'Temptation' by xeloquentangelx for the full Deadly Sins experience. Also feel free to check out my other stories as well. See you next chapter! xx PikaSixJoy xx**


	2. Is That So Hard To Ask For?

**AN: PikaSixJoy here, with another chapter. Thanks to all those who reviewed the first chapter. This chapter took me a while because I got slightly confused, but I'm back on the ball and here we are with chapter two. **

**Enjoy!**

**Toyota Centre before Smackdown**

Seth leant against the bonnet of his rental and glanced at his watch for the third time. He had been waiting in the car park of the centre for the last twenty minutes. For some reason, the Shield member had decided to turn up early. Something he put down to his anticipation of hoping this meeting would go well. Roman turned up a few minutes later and the two greeted each other with a handshake. It made the meeting feel more like a business meeting in which one of them was going to be fired, which thankfully, wasn't the case. Dean turned up a couple of minutes after Roman the Hounds of Justice stood in silence. The tension rose and soon enough they found themselves feeling the most uncomfortable the three of them had ever felt around each other since being brought together. Roman was leaning against a column that held up the level above them, Dean was rocking back and forth of his toes, his usual stance. Seth wasn't sure if he wanted to start, but he figured that maybe he better let Roman do it. The scene reminded Seth of a scene in a movie when the main character of a Western movie arrived at new town for the first time, and he thought those were awkward.

"So are one of you going to start talking to break the silence, or do I have to everything around here?", Dean asked, causing Seth to roll his eyes.

He could tell that Dean was still angry and while he could understand, surely Dean had to see how this looked. None of what happened made any sense, all Roman and Seth had to go was what Dean had told them and even though it had been 5 days on since it had happened, they still hadn't spoken about how much of Dean's story they believed. Not to mention Seth's walkout during their re-match on Raw that Monday. Of course, Seth had to answer for that, something which he had explained in a phone call to Roman the day he had arranged this meeting. He was still angry with Dean's 'disappearance', something he still wasn't sure whether he believed or not, and figured that the only way to get Dean to understand would be to do the same he had done to them.

"Man, when are you gonna learn?", Roman asked, his voice as calm as usual, "This has been a team thing since day one and, yet, here you are spotlighting yourself once more."

"You're one to talk, big guy. You just _**had**_ to go and make the show about yourself, huh? Remember Survivors Series?", The Lunatic Fringe retorted in an attempt to antagonize Roman.

"_Here we go",_ Seth thought to himself as Dean grimaced.

"Or does the Royal Rumble ring even more of a bell? Flexing your muscle like cousin Dwayne", Dean added.

That did it. Roman pushed himself off the column he was leaning against and reached Dean in two full strides. The two wrestlers were face-to-face, nose-to-nose and Seth sighed, this is exactly what he didn't want. They had to get back on the same page or else this was going to be the end of them here.

"Don't disrespect my family like that. Last I remember, at Survivor Series you were the first eliminated. Then at the Royal Rumble, you tried to eliminate but I fixed that problem real quick. And if you still got a problem, then we can settle that issue right here, right now."

Seth stood up as Dean's fists clenched and the two of them looked ready to fight. He knew if he didn't do something in the next three seconds, one of them was going to end up on top of the car bonnet he had been leaning against.

"Would you two knock it off? We need to get back on the same page show some damn unity. Is that so hard to do?"

Normally, the answer to that question was pretty obvious but now, it seemed that wasn't the case.

"Sometimes I wonder why I associate myself with you two egotists, I swear", Seth mumbled after neither Dean or Roman replied.

"Well, if we didn't have such spotlight hoggers, we wouldn't be in this position Sethy boy", Dean smirked causing peacekeeper Seth, as they sometimes called him, to roll his eyes.

He hated that nickname for it. It made feel like a 16 year old kid, as if he needed more reminding how 'valued' he was by the two of them.

"Well Dean, it's not my fault I'm on the most popular Shield member", Roman chuckled.

And there it was the one thing Seth had been waiting to hear since he had called this meeting. Although, he was surprised that it had come from the horse's mouth himself. He bit his bottom lip to stop himself from asking "Where do I fit in all this?" and he felt a small amount of blood rush into his mouth. This wasn't getting them anywhere.

"Enough you two! Enough of this bull!", Seth shrieked, causing Roman and Dean to look at him and frown.

He quickly reminded them of how they were the most unstoppable force the WWE had ever seen and that they were the Hounds of Justice and before they knew it, the three of them were standing in the middle of the car park, fists together and just like that The Shield were back on the same page. But even after the meeting and now that they were figuring out the next step in Operation '_Abolish the Authority_ , as Seth liked to call it, The Davenport native couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Something wasn't there anymore. If not for Seth, this meeting wouldn't have happened and the three of them would probably have never spoken again. He had to admit, he was a little surprised. He didn't think Roman would have believed his story, because it was only partly true. He wanted them to see that he was the glue of The Shield and how things would just fall apart without him. Even now as he headed into the centre with Dean at his side, Seth felt unappreciated, even more so than before all of this crap had happened. All he was after was one simple 'thank you', was that so hard to ask for?

* * *

"Do you want anything from catering?", Seth asked after he and Dean had discussed match strategy for their upcoming Fatal 4-Way.

The Lunatic Fringe shook his head and kept his eyes on the screen which was streaming a match between Rusev and Damien Sandow, who this week had decided to dress up as Ronald McDonald.

"Look at this goof!", Dean snapped, "can you believe he was once the Intellectual Saviour of the Masses", they both said in unison.

Seth shook his head because he couldn't believe it. Sandow was one of the rising stars and here he was only a few months later dressing up as the Face of McDonalds, someone nobody actually cares about anymore. The one thing Seth or Dean couldn't seem to grasp was what he had done to deserve this. If he had disrespected The Authority or injured a top star then in a way, it was understandable, but the fact was he hadn't. Seth shrugged and headed out into the corridor and down to the catering area. The slow walk gave him time to think. Something he had done a lot of these past few days. Despite The Shield now being back on the same page, yet again, something felt odd to the young star. Roman and Dean had come so close to beating the heck out of each other and if not for Seth, they'd have ended up being stretched out of the car park. But then there was something else that was on his mind. Someone else he hadn't seen for quite a while.

"Last minute snack?", Sasha Banks asked, joining Seth at the table filled with food.

"You know me, Sash, just stocking up on the reserves", Seth smiled.

"Well", Sasha smiled, taking a hold of Seth's bicep, "The reserves seem pretty stocked up to me."

Seth let out a cool laugh, something he hadn't done in a while and he had to admit, it felt good. The two friends continued to pile food on their plates before heading to a table at the back of the area.

"Talk to Seth", Sasha said softly.

"Hmm?", Seth replied, raising his head to meet her eyes.

Sasha put down her fork and placed a comforting hand on Seth's forearm. The Archtiect gave a light smile and closed his eyes. He couldn't tell Sasha what had happened earlier, he couldn't tell anyone. He didn't see the point. He would have been proving people right.

"What is it?"

"Nothing", he lied, knowing full well Sasha was going to call him out on it.

Pulling her chair closer to her friend, Sasha leaned forward and placed her hand on Seth's cheek, pulling him towards her. She knew him too well. The glisten that was usually in his eyes had gone. They had known each other long enough they read each other like books. Something was wrong.

"Come on, Seth, you know you can't fool me", Sasha told him, "Plus you've got that look."

Seth leaned back from the woman he had once called his girlfriend and frowned.

"What look?", he asked, raising one eyebrow.

Sasha laughed and shook her head. There was no point in battling with him, she could tell her was avoiding the chance of having to talk. She was just going to have to get it out of him another time. The NXT Diva turned to look at the screen behind them before returning her focus to the man opposite her.

"You should go, your match is next, isn't it?"

Seth nodded and took a deep breath, forcing all problems out of his mind and thinking of nothing but the strategy he had planned with Dean for their Fatal 4-Way.

"Hey", Sasha called as Seth started to make his way down the corridor, "Good luck out there, and be careful, alright?"

Seth turned and headed back over to the young Diva, he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and leaned towards her.

"You can bank on it", he whispered before leaving her to register what had happened.

* * *

**Fatal 4-Way Tag Team #1 Contender's Match**

"Come on, Dean!", Seth shouted as Dean struggled to make his way across the mat towards him.

Roman stood at ringside watching his teammate and feeling helpless, but he knew that Dean could handle himself. Other than Dean and Seth, there was 3MB Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal had decided to take on the challenge while Heath Slater was at ringside, the recently formed team of Ryback and Curtis Axel, who were now known as RybAxel, a name that sounded just as a bad as the team themselves. The toughest of the three were The Real Americans, Jack Swagger was standing on the apron while the very opinionated Zeb Colter stood just behind them, with a look as if he wanted Antionio Cesaro to crush Dean to pieces, which he seemed to be doing quite well. The Lunatic Fringe was holding his side, feeling the pain of a fierce backbreaker Cesaro had hit him with. Seth was reaching over as far as the tag line would allow him, desperate for a tag.

"Come on, Dean!", Seth repeated, tapping his foot with anticipation.

The crowd had already broken out into a "Hounds of Justice" chant so it was clear who they wanted to win. It seemed as though the odds were heavily stacked against The Shield, but in fairness, they had overcome worse so to this was nothing. Roman still couldn't seem to understand why Kane, WWE's latest sell-out, had decided to book them in such a match, but as the match went on, it began to make sense. The three teams focus was Dean, interfering with every chance he had to make a tag, wearing him down, but the one thing that had confused both Roman and Seth was the constant mocking towards Dean's tag partner. And with each dig, Seth could feel the fire burn inside of him. With every tag that was made, the more Seth wanted to prove to them he wasn't the weak link, that if anyone, it was the man lying in pain in the middle of the ring. He needed his chance to show he wasn't just the baby of the group. And a few seconds later, he got that chance. Dean slapped his hand and Seth, leapt over the top rope and took Cesaro out with a hard clothesline. He turned and punched Swagger, who fell on top of Zeb Colter, knocking the man out.

Curtis Axel headed into the ring, to which Seth threw him back into Ryback who fell and hit the barricade behind him. The crowd were on their feet, some cheering his name, others joining in with a "This is awesome" chant which had broken out. Just as he went to hit The Blackout, Heath Slater decided to intervene and tripped Seth up, by pulling his feet from underneath him.

"3MB bab-"

His celebration was cut short by a Spear from Roman, only for the Samoan powerhouse to be blindsided with a boot to the face by Kane, and his two new 'bodyguards', the New Age Outlaws. The two had pinned Roman down to his knees and before Seth could do anything, he was hit with a Neutralizer by Cesaro, which did exactly as the name said. The Architect rolled over in pain as it seared through his ribs and he glanced over at Roman to see him rolled into the ring by Kane, who slid under the rope with a look that told Seth what was coming next. Just as Ryback put Dean through a Shellshock, Roman scrambled to his feet. Road Dogg hit Dean, who had used the turnbuckle to pull himself up, with a Pumphandle Slam as Seth used the last of his energy to bring himself to standing. He looked over at saw that Kane had his hands around Roman's throat and that was the next thing he saw was the roof of the arena as Billy Gunn decided to put him through a Fameasser. Kane hit Roman with a chokeslam that had him roll onto his side to alleviate the pain and an evil smile worked its way onto his face as he looked down at the bodies around him.

"_So much for proving myself", _he thought to himself.

The crowd was booing the heck out of the three corporate sell outs now standing tall in the middle of the ring. Yet again, The Authority had taken out The Shield and it wasn't even via Evolution.

"I told you boys, you're easily replaceable!", Kane shouted, loud enough so the cameras could pick it up for the world to hear.

He let out a cool, evil laugh that resonated with the crowd, sending chills down their spines. He knelt down in the middle of the chaos he had created and spoke with a voice that only the three of them could hear.

"I told you not to mess with The Authority. Now you're gonna learn a powerful lesson the old school way."

The Big Red Monster stood up, fixed his tie and left the carnage behind him, without so much as look back. He knew he had already accomplished his mission and he knew that Triple H was going to be a very satisfied man.

**AN: So, there we are. Hope you enjoyed that chapter. Looking forward to uploading the next few chapters. Won't give too much away. Gotta keep you interested somehow. =) **

**For more of the Seven Deadly Sins series check out 'Insanity' by Cody'sxFavouritexGirl, 'Envy' by MellyxBrooks, 'Temptation' by xeloquentangelx and, of course, the story that started it all 'Pride' by RonTheRonin. **

**Please feel free to review and add to your favourites and be sure to check out my other stories too. See you next chapter! xxPikaSixJoyxx**


	3. What To Do Next

**AN: So, here we are with the next chapter to Revenge. I'm a bit behind schedule. I hit a massive roadblock with this. I hope it's alright. **

**Not too sure about the ending so reviews are definitely going to be needed. **

**Without further ado, here's chapter three!**

**Enjoy!**

How The Shield had made it back from the ring without any help was a testament to the strength behind WWE's most dominant stable. The fact Kane had interfered and beaten them down to the ground already gave The Shield the fire they needed to get back up and take down The Authority. Seth still couldn't grasp how the match had gone wrong. His strategies always worked. He couldn't get his head around it. Everyone they passed just gave them a slight nod. It was a nod that they had seen before and had hoped they would never see again. The night they had been defeated by The Wyatt's. People were talking back then about how they had been 'tamed', and they were most likely saying the same again. Seth's plans were always bulletproof, it was why they had done so well, so it was a mystery to him that the beating's they had received by Kane and the New Age Outlaws had even happened. They had been caught off-guard and that had never happened to them before. They didn't even get a chance to fight back. The three of them stood in the room, each with their own pain to deal with, in a silence that already said enough. This couldn't happen again. They knew what had happened, it was clear. They had been set up. It was the only explanation, and they all knew it. Not much was said between the three brothers, they just vented their frustration over what had happened to them only moments ago.

"We weren't ready, plain and simple", Roman said quietly.

And the truth was, they weren't. They were took focused on the Fatal 4-Way which made it the perfect time to take them out.

Seth had to give it to Hunter, he knew his moments. That didn't mean he wasn't still pissed with the man. The Shield bid their goodbyes to each other and headed their separate ways. All Seth wanted right now was a bath, and something to take his mind off the pain. He ran a hand through his two-toned hair as he knew what he was going to be doing the majority if the upcoming weekend, which pissed him off even more. He hadn't had a peaceful weekend for weeks and this weekend was going to be no different. He made his way down the corridor, heading for the car park. He knew that he should have just gone to medical and got checked out but he was too angry to bother. He needed some time to himself, to get his head together and plan the next move. It was time for retaliation; it was just a matter of how and when that was going to happen.

"Seth, there you are!", Sasha called, throwing her arms around him.

"Hey, be careful, Sash", Seth warned, grimacing as a sharp pain hit his side, "I'm still in a lot of pain."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to…", the NXT Diva said, pulling back slowly, "I saw what happened. Are you okay?"

Seth nodded as Sasha moved to his side, sliding her arm around his waist. The two headed down the hall, the former NXT champion, leaning on his friend for support. He hated having people try to help him, it made him feel weak. He had been able to get up out the ring, to a dressing room and down the wall unassisted unlike Dean and Roman so he didn't need any help now.

"I'm fine, I've been through worse", he told her as they rounded a corner, "I'm alright on my own", Seth said, trying to pull away from her.

Sasha let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. Seth had always been like this. Refusing help when he needed it, it was what had put him out back when they were both in FCW.

"Oh come on, Seth, you know I'm not going to leave you like this. You can just about walk", Sasha smiled, pulling his arm around her shoulder.

"Alright, alright", Seth sighed, giving in.

Sasha wanted to bring up the small moment between them before Seth had gone for his match, but she figured that now wasn't the time. She could feel Seth still shaking with anger under her touch and all that mattered right now as making sure he got back okay. There was a silence that passed between them as they headed out into the car park and as awkward as it was, Sasha was okay with it. It was what Seth did whenever he was pissed off. He felt it was better not to talk to anyone rather than talk and end up insulting someone like most people did when they were talking whilst pissed off. She was used to it.

"I just don't understand", Seth exclaimed, his voice echoing through vast area, "My plans work. They never fail, never! I just don't understand!"

Sasha reached Seth's rental and reached for the driver's door.

"Sasha, I can drive, you know", Seth told her.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you", she smiled, pulling open the door.

Seeing, it was going to be pointless fighting with her, Seth rolled his eyes and hopped into the car just as Sasha started up the engine.

"Seth, you were blindsided. It wasn't to do with your strategy", Sasha told him.

"Wasn't it? That's happened to us before and we've dealt with it. Why is it different this time?"

"Because everyone else in that match knew it was going to happen."

Seth looked over at Sasha and she gave him a comforting smile. The young wrestler chuckled to himself before closing his eyes. He had come to the same conclusion, but it still didn't make things right. It still didn't make up for the fact they had taken out by Triple H's lackeys and that's what killed the most. Seth knew he was going to have to avoid any, if not, all counts of social media for the next three days. He knew people were going to talk, and he couldn't bring himself to read all the tweets people would be sending him asking him what happened. Because he was asking himself the same thing.

Sasha could see he was kicking himself and there wasn't much else she could say. She knew that the best thing to do when Seth was in this kind of state was to leave him and let him deal with it on his own. They pulled up to the hotel a few minutes later, and Seth trudged into the lift. The pain was starting to set itself in, and he was struggling to walk, let alone talk.

"Seth, are you going to be okay?", Sasha asked, as Seth entered his hotel room.

Seth turned and gave a slight nod to the Diva standing opposite him.

"Stay with me", Seth blurted out.

Sasha's mouth fell open and she wasn't sure what to say. The two of them stood in the room in silence, the atmosphere a little awkward. They hadn't really been alone together since they had dated. Well, not in a hotel room anyway.

"Please, Sash, I just need someone to talk to right now", Seth pleaded.

Sasha held Seth's gaze and nodded, closing the door behind her. Seth had a quick shower and got changed into a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a blue "Hounds of Justice" t-shirt.

"Really?", Sasha asked, her falling upon the t-shirt as Seth exited the bedroom.

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for my own merch", he smiled, throwing his hands up, "Unless you'd rather me take it off."

"That depends on whether I like what's underneath", Sasha smiled, twirling a strand of her hair.

"Well, that's a risk I'm willing to take", Seth replied, pulling the shirt over his head and dropping it to the floor, "Well?"

Sasha didn't say anything but her just smiled. Seth pulled her to him and squeezed her before heading out onto the balcony. As much as he wanted to, his mind was in it right now and going through with it wouldn't be fair on Sasha. Especially considering how much he cared about her.

"Is it wrong for me to say I miss the days of FCW?", Seth asked as he looked out into the night.

"No, I miss them too, sometimes", she replied.

Seth sighed and rested both hands on the railing.

"It's just, things were easier back then. It was all about impressing the right people and building a name and your skills. Working out what worked and what didn't. Now, I feel lost, Sasha. The Shield hasn't been the same since Extreme Rules, I mean, we're on the same page, which is what I wanted but…it's not the same."

Sasha looked at her friend and could see the confusion in his eyes. Seth wasn't just hurt physically, but emotionally. There was a lot more to this Authority takedown than he was letting on. She could see he was losing hope and he never did that. Seth was the peacekeeper of The Shield; he was always praising their graces. Now, he didn't know what to do.

"You're not sure what to do next", Sasha stated.

Seth just lightly shook his head. What was the next step? Things could only get worse, couldn't they?

Seth glanced over at Sasha and smiled. He was glad she had decided to stay. It was nice to have her around considering everything that was going on. The outside light was glistening against her skin and the wind sent her perfume his way. He smiled and turned slightly to face her. The cool wind blew past her face, throwing her hair across her eyes.

"Here…", Seth said softly, turning to face her, "I've got it."

Reaching over, Seth pulled the few strands from Sasha's face and tucked them behind her ear.

"Alright, that's the second time you've done that to me, Seth, what's going on?", Sasha asked, as she looked at him.

Seth frowned and entwined his fingers together.

"What? I used to do that to you all the time", he said, a little confused.

"Yes, but this is different, Seth. We're not together anymore, why did you really ask me here?

He had to admit, he missed her. They hadn't really spoken properly for a few weeks now. Everything that was happening with The Authority seemed to have stopped that, and Seth felt bad. Sasha was the one good thing he had in his life right now. She was the only other person who knew him better than he knew himself. Although he wasn't sure if that was something he could say right now. So instead, he just leaned forward and kissed her. Without any hesitation, Sasha slid her arms around Seth's neck, the Architect pulling her towards him. By the time they broke apart, the two of them were lying on the sofa in the hotel room, and both of them were topless.

"Sasha…", Seth whispered as he pulled back to look at the woman underneath him.

The two held each other's gaze and Sasha brought her hand alongside Seth's cheek, pulling him towards her, her lips meeting his for the second time that night.

* * *

By the time Raw had rolled around, Seth was in that mood to take a few people out. Just as he had decided, he had spent the weekend resting up getting ready for Monday night. Sasha had spent the weekend with him, mainly because the pain got worse and he couldn't do much, so Sasha became his maid for the weekend. Not that it bothered her, it was actually nice to spend some time with Seth. Most of that weekend was them in each other's arms watching old Sailor Moon episodes and talking about future plans for The Shield and whatever else they felt like talking about. It was good for Seth, he had gotten a lot off his chest and he was glad for the advice Sasha gave him. He arrived to the arena early that night just to make sure he was cleared to compete which, thankfully, he was. The plan he had for tonight's Raw was going to be the start on getting their own payback on Kane and The Authority. The news was that RybAxel were taking on Los Matadores tonight and after their defeat at Mania had gotten around to the Hounds pretty fast and that gave Seth the chance he needed to get some payback on The Shield's side. They waited in the wings and picked the perfect time to strike. Just as Ryback had regained control of the match by taking Diego out with a powerful clothesline, the Shield's music hit, the crowd erupted and it had done exactly what they had wanted.

Using the distraction to his advantage, Diego quickly put Ryback in a roll pin and claimed the victory. Ryback growled in frustration and turned to face the three hounds, who were now standing behind the barricade, each with sadistic smiles on their faces. Seth looked over at Dean and Roman and nodded, and the three of them jumped the barricade, slid into the ring and began a furious assault on the tag team which ended with Ryback being assisted out of the arena after a Triple Powerbomb. And that was only the start of The Shield's payback. By the end of the night, they had taken out The Real Americans leaving Cesaro through a broken announce table. Hopefully, taking out two of the three teams that had been involved in the set-up that ended disastrously last week would send a message to Evolution that they were coming for them. It was just a matter of time.

The night ended the same as always, small conversation and the three of them heading their separate ways. Seth still hadn't voiced his feelings to the others, mainly because he was still having trouble understanding them himself. Even with the advice Sasha had given him, he just wasn't sure where they were going. Yet again, the night had ended with no thank you for the idea of taking out The Real Americans and RybAxel in the same night. Dean and Roman had wanted to wait until next week, Seth, however, didn't think it would get the message across just as much as they wanted. He was beginning to get frustrated. Two words, just two. They managed it whenever he paid for their coffees, surely they could manage it for this.

Seth headed down the corridor, bag in hand. He felt like going to the gym. He needed a late night work out. He needed to be kept busy and that was the perfect thing to do. There was still a lot going on in his mind and he needed the time to sort it out, the gym was usually the perfect place for him to do that, because he was on his own. It gave him the time to think and re-evaluate. Stopping off at a water fountain, Seth felt someone grab his arm. He turned to see Randy Orton standing just opposite him, arms folded, leaning against the wall.

"I've gotta give it to ya, Sethy boy, that double take out tonight was pretty awesome", Randy smirked.

Seth sighed and rolled his eyes. He knew Randy wasn't the kind of man for small talk and neither was he.

"Just get to it, will you?", Seth snapped.

Randy smiled and slipped his hands into his suit pockets. Seth had to hold back a chuckle as he looked at The Viper; he had become a corporate suck-up just like the man he worked for. It was something that almost everyone backstage knew but, of course, they didn't say a word. The last time someone did so, they ended up in hospital for three weeks. So Seth had to be careful, but right now, he didn't care at all. He was fed up of Orton "stalking" him.

"You know, you're a lot cleverer than you look, Sethy boy", Orton smiled.

"Are you going to say whatever it is, you have to say or just stand like dressed like the corporate arsehole you are?", Seth asked, getting impatient now.

Randy's mouth formed into a hard line, clearly unimpressed by the insult Seth had given him. He leaned forward off the wall but then returned to his position, bringing his foot up underneath him.

"You know, if I didn't have other plans right now I'd be beating the shit out of you.", Orton huffed.

"Yeah, well, I'd like to see you try", Seth replied.

The silence that passed was a little tense as there was still a lot of unfinished business between the two and the stables they were part of, but they both had decided to settle that in the ring later. If situations arose within the next few minutes which changed that, Seth wasn't afraid to make the first move and take out the Apex Predator, or the man who was known as that.

"So, what is it then?", Seth asked, breaking the silence.

"You may think that your little "message" has freaked us out, but I'm just letting you know it hasn't. If anything, it's got us even more pre-"

Seth burst out laughing, which didn't go down with Randy at all, not that the young wrestler cared. So this is what Orton had been reduced to? Triple H's postman.

"You have to be kidding me. This is what you're here to tell me", Seth sighed.

Randy gritted his teeth and took a moment. He knew that Seth was pushing his buttons and now it was time to push his.

"That must have been hard though, coming up with that idea and not getting the recognition for it.", Randy began.

Seth looked at him and frowned. What was Randy getting at?

"It's a shame really. Because if you were with us, if you had adapted when you had the chance you'd be getting all of that and more. Those two little words you've been wanting to hear so bad…well, you'd be hearing them a lot more than you do now."

"Who told you that?", Seth asked, taking a step towards Randy.

The Viper held up his arms in surrender and shook his head.

"No one, just a few observations I've made. Although you can bank on th-"

Seth launched himself at Randy and pinned him against the wall. His hair had fallen out of its hairband and was now hanging over his shoulder.

"If you even think of going anywhere near her, I'm going to come for you and take you before you realise who's hit you, you got it?"

Randy nodded his head, Seth's attack showing now effect. The Architect held Randy against the wall before finally letting him go and heading down the hall.

"Just one last thing you should know", Orton called as Seth continued walking, "Maybe you should ask Miss Banks who she's been "reigning" with, if you know what I mean."

Seth continued walking and stormed out of the arena, ignoring Randy's last comment. But that didn't mean it hadn't stuck in his head, it seemed that Sasha was more involved in all this than he had originally thought.

**AN: And there we have it. Chapter three, done and dusted. Please don't forget to review and add to your favourites and all that jazz. It really helps out. Be sure to check out the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins series: MellyxBrooks "Envy", Cody'sxFavouritexGirl "Insanity", xeloquentxangelx "Temptation" and of course, the story that started it all "Pride" by RonTheRonin. **

**See you next chapter guys! XxPikaSixJoyxX**


	4. Side-By-Side No Longer

**AN: Here we are with another instalment of Revenge. This chapter took me forever, I ended up with writer's block AGAIN and I struggled a bit with covering WrestleMania, but I, as Ronnie would love to say, finally managed to get it sorted and this is it.**

**I've got some really good plans coming up soon so tune in!**

**Anyway AN over, here's chapter four!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Four**

WrestleMania Week had come around sooner than anyone thought and it was ten times bigger than Mania 29, because, of course, it was the big one. This wasn't just the "grandest stage of them all" as JR used to call it, but the grandest of the grandest stages of them all. Seth had spent the majority of the week avoiding Sasha's phone calls. He wasn't sure if he could talk to her right now. Maybe it was because he still wasn't sure what to make out Orton's "kind" thoughts the week before. Things for the two-toned Davenport native had been incredibly strange ever since Elimination Chamber and, to be honest, he still wasn't sure if things would ever go back to the way they were. It was a Tuesday morning and Seth had decided to go for an early morning run. He quickly got up and changed into a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a vest. He didn't see the point of having a shower because he was going to have another one when he got back from his run. Pulling his hair up into a bun, the two-toned wrestler picked up his key card, his phone with his headphones and headed into the corridor and towards the lift. He emerged downstairs in the lobby a few minutes later and headed out into the early morning light. The cool air was quite nice on his skin as he jogged through the streets and around New Orleans. It helped to wake him up and the music he was playing in his ears gave him time to get into the mind set for his upcoming match against The New Age Outlaws. He was actually looking forward to their match in 5 days' time. He was thinking about the look on Triple H's face backstage when Billy Gunn and Road Dogg take a Triple Powerbomb each. The crowd chanting their name as their arms are raised by the referee.

The busy schedule at this time of the year was something that Seth was used to as he had done this exactly a year ago at WrestleMania 29 in New Jersey. The only difference was that the schedule was more packed because of the scale of this year's WrestleMania.

"Isn't this a little early for you?"

Seth raised his head and looked up to see current Paige standing opposite him standing in a pair of shorts, trainers and a sports bra. Her long Black hair was up in a ponytail that hung over her shoulder.

"It's never too early for me", Seth replied, standing up.

"Oh, so you're just going to leave me, is that it?", the Anti-Diva teased.

Seth stood up and took a step towards the Diva standing opposite him.

"Come on, Paige, I'm not going anywhere", he smiled, tapping her nose.

Paige smiled and she felt herself blush as she held Seth's gaze. He had never done that to her before.

"You wanna come with?", Seth gestured as he turned to continue his jog.

Paige nodded and the two of them headed down the path and through the park out onto the street. It was strange for Seth, he didn't usually go jogging with someone else, except this one time with Sasha a while back, but it felt odd. Yet, here he was, with Paige and he felt fine. Neither of them said anything on the way back to the hotel and they didn't need to. It was quite nice to know that Seth had someone by his side. Who said that jogging partners needed to have a conversation?

"You know, Sasha's been asking after you", Paige said as they entered the hotel, "She's worried about you."

Seth held back a sigh as he pressed the button for the lift. He pressed a palm against the wall and rested his forehead against the wall. For once could he not have to worry about how someone else felt about him? It was all he ever seemed to be doing at the moment.

"Well, if Sasha wants to find out how I am, she can come and find me herself", Seth replied coldly.

Paige frowned as they entered the lift, pressing the button for their floor. Had they had an argument or something? Of course, the Diva wasn't going to ask, it wasn't her place to. That didn't meant she wasn't just as concerned about Seth as Sasha was. Now, that she had seen him, she seemed more worried about him.

"Why don't just call her, Seth? She misses you", Paige suggested to no reply.

"She's spoken about you a lot. Said that you seem kinda lost and unsure of yours-"

Seth's fists slowly clenched as Paige went on about Sasha and how she had missed him and was worried for him until he suddenly snapped. He grabbed hold of Paige's wrist and yanked it towards him, bringing them almost inches from each other.

"Let me guess, did she put you up to this, huh? Asking you to make sure "I'm alright"?"

Paige shook her head, the fear in her eyes, but Seth wasn't buying it. The lift dinged as the doors slid open; Seth shoved Paige out into the hall and pressed the button to go up to his floor. He rested his head against the wall behind him and sighed.

"I shouldn't have done that", he mumbled.

What was that? He had never done anything like that before. It scared him just as much as it had scared Paige. He made a mental note to apologize for it later and stepped out into the hall once the lift had reached his floor. If what had just happened was a sign of how the rest of this week was going to go, Seth didn't like it one bit.

* * *

Paige kept her eyes fixed on the lifts doors and tried to register what had just happened. She pulled herself up off the floor and glanced at her wrist. Thankfully, there wasn't a bruise or any kind of mark, but it was the act that had scared her. She had never seen Seth like that even back when they were in FCW together. She pushed her jet Black hair out of her eyes and headed down the hall. She stopped outside room number 496 and reached out to knock the door, stopping just before her fist reached the wooden surface. Was this something that Sasha would want to hear right now? The Diva had a lot of hope that Seth would want agree to talk to her that she knew if she told her the news it wouldn't go down very well. The young Brit stepped back and headed back towards the lift.

"_I can't tell Sasha. Not yet_", she said to herself.

It was just going to have to wait, the good thing about relaying the information was the busy schedule Mania Week enthralled would keep her mind off of it, at least, she hoped it would. But it was better to save it for a better time. And until she was in state that she could tell Sasha. Besides, she had other things on her mind. Mainly defending her NXT Women's championship this weekend at the Mania Axxess. It was weird knowing that this was going to be her first WrestleMania and what better way to start by defending your title during what was sure to be one of the best, if not **the** best Pay-Per-View of the year.

The Anti-Diva dusted herself off, rolled her wrist to check if it was broken which, thankfully, it wasn't and headed back into the lift. She had things to do but she had something to settle first. Pressing the button to take her to the upper floor, Paige ran a hand through her jet black hair, pushing it out of her face. She wasn't going to let that slide. The Anti-Diva stormed down the hall and came to a stop as she looked over and saw Summer Rae heading towards her.

"What are you doing here?", Summer asked, as her eyes fell upon the Diva opposite her.

"What I'm doing here, Summer", Paige began, spitting her name, "Is my business and mine alone."

Summer gave a cool smile and tutted.

"Oooh, touchy. Someone's been sneaking around", the blonde Diva smirked, placing her hand on her hip.

Rolling her eyes, Paige couldn't help but laugh. Summer was one to talk. It was no secret she was after The Miz's attention so it wouldn't have surprised the Brit that she had most likely spent the night in his hotel room.

"Yeah, well, at least I'm decent enough to do that", Paige replied to which Summer scowled.

Paige raised an eyebrow as the blonde Diva flicked her hair behind her shoulder and let out a dramatic sigh.

"You know, if we weren't in such a public place I'd have taken you out, but when I'm standing opposite someone who doesn't deserve the title I realise that you're just not worth my time."

Summer barged past the Diva and headed down the hall and entered the lift. Paige clenched her fists and held back the urge to rip Summer's extensions from her head.

"Ohhh Paige", Summer called from the small box at the end of the hall, "You're looking at the woman who's going to become the new NXT Women's championship and show you how a real woman defends her title."

Paige gritted her teeth and ran towards the lift, reaching it just as the doors shut.

"Damn it!", she snapped, whacking her palm on the doors.

The urge to run downstairs and tear Summer's extensions from her pretty little head was now almost too great to resist but, somehow, she managed to keep her cool. Her little 'problem' with Seth was going to have to wait. She had more important things to sort out.

* * *

**Friday WrestleMania Axxess**

Seth followed the stage manager who was taking him to the allotted Shield table for the signings with the fans. Roman was sat in the middle with Dean and Seth either side. The Architect had to bite his lip when he saw that as he reached their table. It should be him in the middle. If not for him, The Shield wouldn't exist. They'd still just be passing each other with the odd 'hello' here and there. This was the kind of stuff that made Seth question where he stood. He was beginning to feel like a spoke on the wheel, when in fact he was the wheel. Of course, he couldn't voice any of this. To Dean and Roman, it would be something small that they didn't need to bother fighting over but not to Seth. It was the small things that mattered to him. He pushed all the thoughts to the back of his head as the fans came by one-by-one handing over their merchandise to be signed. A few sneaked the odd photo in while others had decided to wait for the photo op later.

It was nice hearing the fans tell them how much The Shield meant to them and that they couldn't wait for their match in two days. Neither could the Hounds. They were going to bring The New Age Outlaws and Kane to justice. Seth felt proud, not just of himself but of Dean and Roman and how far the three of them had come. Sunday was going to mark the beginning of the end of The Authority and it couldn't come soon enough. Out of all the fans there was one who had stuck in Seth's mind the most. She was a young girl, no older than 12, and she was dressed in full Shield gear. It was amazing to see, but it was what she had told them, Seth in particular, that they weren't going to forget. She reached around to his ear after he had signed her 'Hounds of Justice' t-shirt and whispered softly.

"You are The Shield."

And then she moved on to Roman. Seth was beaming for the rest of the signing. Yet, it had stuck with him for another reason. Things were beginning to add up. Sasha, Paige, Roman, Dean, everything seemed to be colliding much faster than he thought. Before he could make another thought, the stage manager announced that the signing was over and The Shield headed off.

"Well, I'm going to go and get some sleep", Dean yawned, stretching, "I haven't slept properly since this damn trip started."

Roman nodded in agreement and began to follow him, the two of them turned to Seth and Roman spoke first.

"You coming, Two-tone?", Roman asked.

Seth smiled at the sound of his nickname and shook his head. He had somewhere he needed to be.

"I've gotta go sort some stuff out. I'm gonna stop by the NXT area too, catch the matches. I'll see you guys later", Seth told them before heading off.

He glanced at his watch and broke out into a light jog. Sasha had sent him a text asking him to come to her match on Friday against Bayley. He hadn't replied since the night they had spent that weekend together, but he was going to make an appearance anyway. He still hadn't spoken to her since Paige had told him that she missed him and he wasn't sure if he should. Seth slowed down as he reached the NXT section and slipped in at the back of the crowd. Sasha was already in the middle of the ring and she currently had Bayley in a Boston Crab. He wanted to go closer but he didn't want to distract the Diva and cost her the match. He had experienced a match loss like that back in his days off FCW so he knew what it felt like.

He watched as the slightly hyper, always cheery Bayley escaped Sasha's hold and threw her into the turnbuckle closest towards the side Seth was standing and hit her with a Clothesline to the back. Sasha groaned as Bayley started to climb to the top rope, pulling the Diva with her. Sasha could feel Bayley take her arm over her shoulder, readying her for a Suplex. She raised her head slightly and spotted him instantly. His two-toned hair made him a dead giveaway. It was only for a split second, but she knew it was him. Something in the young Diva switched and she pushed herself to standing, throwing Bayley over her shoulder and into the ring. She looked back over in Seth's direction and saw he was still there with his back turned from her. Before Sasha could do anything, Bayley, who had regained her composure, was now running towards her. With a quick Cross Body off the top rope, Sasha used the momentum to flip Bayley into the Crossface and was screaming for Bayley to tap.

"So, that's why you didn't leave with SuperFail and Lunatic Man."

Seth sighed and turned to see Orton behind him, still wearing his gym gear from trip he had made earlier in the day.

"What's it to you?", Seth snapped.

Randy held his hands up in mock surrender and pretended to shiver.

"Ooh, looks like I touched a nerve, huh, Sethy boy?", Randy smiled, clearly enjoying the fact he was getting on Seth's nerves, "Look, all I'm here for is to give you this."

Seth frowned as the Viper reached into his back pocket and handed him a folded piece of paper. He looked at it and immediately knew who it was from.

"Whoa, before you think of doing that, you might want to listen to what I have to say first", Randy said as Seth was just about to throw the note he had screwed up in Orton's face.

"Oh yeah, and what exactly can you tell me that is going to make me keep this piece of crap?", Seth asked, his voice rising slightly.

He couldn't seem to understand how Hunter or any member of Evolution, for that matter, couldn't grasp that he wanted to be left alone. His only engagement with any of them was going to be within the squared circle with him taking them out. Randy waited and held Seth's gaze, checking to see if he truly had The Architect's attention. A cool sly smile appeared on his face and Seth found himself slightly on edge. He clenched his fists, readying himself in case Randy had some hidden tricks up his sleeve. He didn't want to risk being jumped on two days before Mania. That would make their match even harder to tackle.

"Well?", Seth snapped, his patience slowly lessening with each passing second. He was getting close to just walking off and leaving Randy standing alone.

"Adapt or perish."

And with that the Apex Predator disappeared leaving Seth in a state of confusion and strangely enough, curiosity.

* * *

"Get here for 2:30 tomorrow…No, Steve said that it was being sorted. We just need to make sure that everything's ready to go on the dot or else we'll run over and we can't afford that, Steph."

Hunter raised his head to see Randy enter the office with the WWE World Heavyweight titles over each shoulder. Taking off the championship belts, Randy placed them on the desk in front of him and sat down in the chair, swinging his legs up onto the Oak table just in front of him. Usually, with anyone else Hunter would have given them a look that told them to take their feet off his desk instantly, but with Randy he didn't see the point. The only person Orton listened to was himself.

"Look, Steph, I have to go. Business meeting."

Hunter quickly bid goodbye to his wife and hung up the phone. He sat back in his chair and locked eyes with Randy just as Batista came into the room.

"Ahh, glad you could join us, Dave", Hunter greeted as The Animal sat down on a sofa just behind Orton.

Orton smirked and tucked his hands behind his head, shifting himself into a more relaxing position.

This meeting was going to be quite some time, and Randy was glad he hadn't changed into anything more formal. Heck, he still hadn't had time to shower from his gym session. Not that it bothered the Apex Predator. He had been in meetings where his last shower was the night before. It's just the nature of the business.

"Right, well, Sunday's going to be no joke alright. Bryan's going to give it everything so the two of you need to be sure that you know to do. You can't let that man take those titles from you, from us", Hunter told them.

"Relax, we've got it. That little Goat man isn't going to leave with my titles. He's got no chance in hell.", Randy smirked, pleased with the small segway he had made.

Both Dave and Hunter rolled their eyes at Randy's little plug, it was pointless but then again, it was Orton, he seemed to be in one those moods. It was best to just leave him to it.

"Speaking of those who have a problem with us, little Sethy boy took the note I handed him and I suspect it's still sitting in the back pocket of his jeans"

Hunter gave an approving nod and adjusted his tie.

"Good, leave him for now. We'll deal with The Shield after we deal with B+ player who needs to have a grade or two knocked out of him. I wi-"

Batista sighed and pulled off his sunglasses, his face stern with annoyance.

"No offence, Hunter, but screw the damn Shield, my title shot is more important that three goofs who think they can take us out. What's going on with that?", Dave asked, his gruff voice filling the room,

"Dave, whateve-"

"What's going on, Dave, is that you have a title shot and it looks like you're going to have beat me for it, but that's not happening anytime soon, I assure you", Randy said, standing up so he could face his fellow match competitor.

Batista slowly made his way over to Randy who met him halfway, their foreheads inches from each other. Before it was about taking down whoever got in The Authority's way, but with WrestleMania only two days away, all alliances had gone out of the window. Now the focus was the two titles that were sitting on Hunter's desk behind them.

"Yeah, I beg to differ on that, mister", Dave replied.

"Oh yeah? Care to enlighten me?"

"I told you when I returned, I only came back for one thing and one thing only. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship. It wasn't to join Evolution or help take out any idiots who got in his way", Batista began, pointing at Hunter, "It was to take what was mine and that's those babies right there."

There was a slight pause before the room was filled with Randy's cool, cold laugh much to Dave's annoyance.

"'_Those babies'_, Dave, belong to, and will only ever belong to, one man and that man is me. So don't you go thinking that you can beat me this Sunday because I got news for you, mate, you ain't got a chance."

Hunter sat there watching two of his top Superstars and wondered who was going to throw the first punch. The COO wasn't fazed by the current confrontation at all, mainly because it was something that beginning to become a regular occurrence between Orton and Batista. Of course, it was understandable, in two days' time they weren't going to be standing in the ring side-by-side but instead as opponents so it made sense that tensions were high. But he needed them to put that aside right now, he had bigger things to think of. He had to do what was 'best for business' and if that meant having Orton and Batista in a match then so be it.

"As much you two want to beat the shit out of each other, I'd prefer if you didn't. Either take it outside or hold it in until Sunday. Can you two do me that curtsey?", Hunter asked, breaking the silence between them.

"You gotta be crazy if you think that you're coming out of Sunday still holding those titles. You might as well say goodbye to them now because it's the last time you're ever going to be holding them.", Dave said, completely ignoring Hunter.

"Let me guess, you're going to be one to take them, right?"

"Damn right I am."

Randy let out another cool laugh and turned to pick up the World Heavyweight title, lifting it into the air so that the name plate was between them both.

"Well, you see here, this little name plate happens to have my name on it and it's staying there for a very, very, very long time. Looks like you're just going to have to deal with it!"

Scooping up the WWE title in his free hand, Randy sauntered out of the room and left the COO with a very pissed off Dave Batista.

**AN: Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. Don't forget to add to your favourites and review. It really helps out. Thanks to all those who have reviewed so far. For more in the Seven Deadly Sins series, check out "Envy" by MellyxBrooks, "Insanity" by Cody'sxFavouritexGirl, "Temptation" by xeloquentangelx and the story that started it all "Pride" by RonTheRonin. Feel free to check out my other stories too. See you next chapter! xxPikaSixJoyxx**


	5. I Am The Shield

**AN: So here we are with chapter five! Hope you're all enjoying my story so far. Not much else to say about this really. I did promise I was going to be at Payback by the end of this chapter, with the way this chapter's ended I realised carrying on would have taken away the impact. At least I hope it has some impact. **

**Well, here's chapter five!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Five**

Paige finished pulling her jet black hair into a ponytail and grabbed her coffee from the barista in Starbucks, thanking her and heading out to her rental parked across the road. She slipped into the driver's seat and placed her bag next to the two titles on the passenger seat next to her. Not only was she the NXT Women's champion, she was now the Divas champion. The first woman to ever hold both titles at once. It still hadn't hit her, that she was now the top Diva in the business. She had beaten AJ Lee. A woman she had dreamed of having matches with. A woman who, only two days ago, recently defended said title in a ridiculous Battle Royal. Now, it was here in her car, only a hand stretch away. She hadn't expected to congratulate the woman and end up having a title match in process. She took a small sip of her coffee and pulled out her phone to see that she had a text message from Sasha.

"_Look across the road. Bo$$"_

Paige frowned and followed her best friend's instructions, glancing in the direction of the coffee shop to see if she could spot anything. And sure enough, there was Sasha Banks standing just outside the shop waving. Paige smiled and took one last look at her championships before stepping out of her rental and heading across the road to join her best friend, greeting her with a hug.

"Hey there Diva's champ", Sasha greeted, taking a sip of her Caramel Macchiato.

Paige felt her cheeks blush and gave Sasha a slight nudge.

"Still not use to hearing that then?", Sasha asked, reading the Brit perfectly.

"Nope, and to tell the truth, I don't think I ever will. I've only just gotten used to being the NXT Women's champion. It's happened so quickly."

The two headed over to an empty table outside Starbucks and sat down. It had been a while since they had seen each other. Their WrestleMania schedules over the past weekend hadn't really allowed them much time to hang out so it was nice to finally catch up.

"So, what's it like knowing you're at the top of the Divas food chain?", Sasha asked as Paige took a sip out of her cup.

Paige began spilling out all how she was feeling and as much as Sasha wanted to listen she couldn't. Her eyes kept looking at her phone, her mind kept thinking to the two-toned Shield member who was probably at the gym. She didn't understand Seth at all. Ever since they had broken up over a year ago, things had been good between them. They had gone their separate way amicably and then he, somehow, returned into her life and even when that happened things were still good. It made no sense to the NXT Diva. The weekend they had spent together, the texting, the calls, it all just suddenly stopped. With no explanation. It made no sense to her at all. The amount of calls she had cancelled before they had gone through were almost close to triple figures. And then he turned up at her NXT match at WrestleMania Axxess and that sent her into another spiral. She didn't understand him, or where they stood. Where was that? Friends? Exes? Friends who were maybe getting to be more than friends? What?

The table between the two Divas vibrated as Sasha's phone went off and she swiped it up almost immediately. Paige raised her eyebrows as she watched the excitement disappear as quickly as she picked up her phone.

"Sash, talk to me", Paige said softly as she watched Sasha throw her phone back on the table.

Sasha took a moment and sighed, running a hand through her Caramel coloured hair.

"I don't get him, what did I do?", Sasha asked, mainly to herself.

Paige put down her coffee cup and pushed a strand of her hair out of her face. She could see that Sasha was having some trouble and she thought back to the day she had spoken to Seth.

"_Well, if Sasha wants to find out how I am, she can come and find me herself."_

Was now the best time to tell Sasha exactly what Seth had told her? She seemed to be in a lot of distress about their situation, but as the two Divas sat there, the young Brit couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. The only problem was, she wasn't sure what about. The way she saw it, she had two options. She either told Sasha to go and see him or she told her nothing and let things play out for themselves.

"You didn't do anything, Sasha," Paige assured her, "I guess he's just going through a lot at the moment."

"Hmm…I guess he is, I think I might go and talk to him. Or should I? Oh, I don't know. What would you do, Paige?", Sasha asked, raising her head to look at her best friend.

"Me? Truthfully, I'd give it a couple of days", Paige began.

Lie.

"Just let things die down and see if I can get him on his own, talk to him away from everyone else."

Lie.

"I wouldn't want to piss him off by storming in the locker room and screaming at him."

Lie.

"He wouldn't talk to me otherwise. Not to mention, I'd want to avoid everyone finding out about our business, you know? With the way The Authority are going I don't want them jumping on my case over no reason."

Sort of a lie. Truth be told, she wouldn't give a shit who found out as long she got through to Seth and he knew that she was pissed off with him.

"Okay, that might actually be a good idea. Give him some space to breathe but, wait a minute, hasn't he already had enough space to breathe? How much time is he asking for here?", Sasha asked confused.

Before Paige could answer, AJ Lee was walking, well skipping, down the street towards them. The Geek Goddess spotted the jet black hair of the Diva who had taken her baby from her and smirked. Slowing down to a walk, the former Divas champion made her way over to the NXT Divas sitting at the table and rested her elbows on the warm surface.

"Fancy seeing you here, Paige", AJ smiled, spitting the Brit's name.

"AJ, look I'm not looking for a fi-"

Paige went to stand up to leave only for AJ to slide onto her lap and grab hold of the back on the chair Paige was sitting on. Sasha raised her head from her phone and wasn't sure what exactly was going on. She could feel eyes on them from the people inside who were staring at the two women outside wondering what was going to happen next.

"Oh, don't worry, I don't fight pale vampires in the sun. Not worth my time", AJ told her, tilting her head.

"Pale vampi-"

AJ had placed her hand over Paige's mouth stopping her from talking. This little scene was beginning to get weirder and weirder with each second that passed.

"Now, listen here, just because you beat me in a match with a stupid roll-up pin doesn't make you a Diva's champion. You're looking at the Diva's champion. The one who put everything she had on the line to get to that title. I'm not letting you take my baby away from me so easily, alright. So when you go back into your crappy little rental over there, here's what I suggest you do. Give my baby the biggest and longest kiss of your life because come Payback that's the last time you're ever going to hold it. And I mean ever."

The New Jersey native didn't even give Paige anytime to reply she just jumped off her lap and headed into Starbucks waving goodbye to Sasha as she passed her.

"Uhh, what just happened?", Sasha asked, turning back to face Paige after watching AJ disappear into the store.

"Honestly, Sash, I have absolutely no idea."

* * *

**Two Weeks Later**

"You two had one job! One job dammit!"

Hunter had been pacing back and forth in his office for almost an hour. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that Daniel Bryan was now sitting at home with the two titles that both Hunter and Stephanie had tried so hard not to let him have. Not only had he beaten him now less than an hour later, he had taken out Batista and Orton all on the same night. At the biggest Pay-Per-View in WWE history. He was no longer the B+ player they had been calling him the past 8 months. He was much more than that. So much more than that. Daniel Bryan hadn't just beaten Hunter; he had humiliated him and everything he had worked for. All his plans had gone; everything both he and Stephanie had worked for. They were back at Square One and Hunter hated being at Square One.

"Can either of you two tell me how in the world you managed to lose to a 5'10 hilly-billy Goat-faced B minus, "Yes!" screaming little shit? Do you have any idea what that's done to our plans? Everything we planned for, everything it's gone. Fucking dust because you two couldn't keep one guy down! One guy!"

Randy and Batista looked at each other and sighed. They were just as pissed off as Hunter was. Batista had returned to the WWE for one thing only and that was the titles that were now in the hands of Daniel Bryan. It meant that the game had changed. It wasn't exactly back to Square One for The Authority, but it wasn't three steps forward either. Randy didn't know what to say. Matter-of-fact was that he had lost his titles. The only good thing was that they hadn't gone to Hollywood goof sitting across from him.

"You see, Hunter, if I had gotten my title shot when it was due. None of this would have happe-"

"Oh, I wouldn't go there buddy", Randy smirked, as he looked at Hunter's facial expression.

Batista shifted in his seat as Hunter took off his tie and scrunched it up in his hands. The atmosphere in the room was eerie. Both Randy and Batista were counting down the minutes until they could run as far away from Hunter's office as their $300 shoes would take them.

"Who are you, my mom?", Dave asked, looking at Randy.

"Nope, I'm just the guy who told that you shouldn't piss the big man off. He's in a pre-"

"I'll go where I want, thank you. Just so you know, you also happen to be the guy who lost to a guy who looks like a young Chuck Norris. I wonder how pissed he is with you," Dave smirked.

Hunter rolled as Randy's fists clenched and sighed.

"Here we go again….," he mumbled.

"Listen, baldly. I'm not the one who ended up with ripped skinny jeans after a Spear."

"You do remember it was you that I took out, goofball."

"Goofball?" Randy asked, standing up, "Who the-"

"Hey, hey hey!", Hunter exclaimed throwing his tie at Batista, "If you haven't noticed, there are two 40lb titles missing from my desk, instead they're at home with some nature loving lumberjack midget! How about you pull your finger out your little butt crack and figure out how you're going to get them back to me?" Hunter snapped, his voice rough with anger.

Batista locked eyes with the COO and slipped his sunglasses on his face.

"That's not my business," Dave said to him as he headed for the door.

"That's where you're wrong, Dave," Hunter said, "When you happened to partly responsible for this. So I suggest if you still want that title shot of yours, you sit your smug arse down. "

Batista took a moment and turned to look at the man he called his friend.

"You know, as much as I'd love to do that Hunter, I think I'll pass thanks. Looks like you'll just have to deal with it."

"Damn it, Dave!", Hunter exclaimed, slamming his fist on his desk, "You get fucking arse back here right now!"

Batista stopped walking and turned to face Hunter, locking eyes with the COO. Hunter's eyes were ablaze with anger, it was clear he wasn't finished with the meeting. Randy sighed and kept looking between his boss and his friend to see if they were still breathing. The only thing that could be heard in the silence that had arisen was the ticking clock on wall above them. Tension in the ranks wasn't what they needed right now.

"Ok-ay….if you two are going to play a game of Statues then I'm off," Randy stated, standing up.

"Sit. Down" was all Hunter said, finally emerging from his showdown with Batista.

Batista slipped into the chair and folded his arms. This meeting wasn't finished yet and Batista leaving hadn't added to the fire.

"I don't give a shit about your title shots. You'll get them when I say you'll get them. Just remember that. We've got bigger problems to sort out now. Daniel Bryan is easy. He's a B+ player, and you can always take out B+ players. If the two of you weren't bickering like fucking kids over a title shot, you'll have noticed that we have three dogs we need to put down. Those "hounds", or whatever they want to call themselves, took us out last week and I think it's about time we give them a taste of their own medicine."

* * *

Seth zipped up his hoodie, pulling the hood over his head and headed across the road. He had decided to go for a late night walk. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was half past 11. For some reason, he was wide awake. He couldn't seem to sleep. Why that was he had no idea; perhaps it because his brain was in overtime. He felt mentally drained. He had spent the last week strategizing as many ways as possible to take down Evolution. If he wasn't doing that then he was at the gym training and if he wasn't doing that; he was trying to avoid Paige and Sasha. He hadn't seen either Diva since before WrestleMania and he was hoping that it was going to stay that way. He hadn't really had much time to himself. He entered the lobby of the gym, making his way to the changing rooms. He didn't normally go for late night workouts, it usually messed up his timetable, but tonight he felt like he had no choice. And with the way his trainer had set his CrossFit training this month, it was the perfect fitness workout to keep him level-headed. Pulling off his t-shirt, Seth quickly shoved all of his gear into one of the lockers. He turned to pick up his towel from the bench to see a guy leaning against one of the lockers at the other end of the row. Seth frowned in confusion wondering who it was, but turned back to his locker and secured the padlock. As he turned to head towards the gym, the guy had tapped on the locker he was leaning against, gaining Seth's attention. The Architect turned to see that the man was a small piece of paper and placed it on the bench between them.

"Care to tell me what it says?", Seth asked, to which the guy just simply pointed at the note.

Reluctantly, Seth realised that he had no choice but to look, something was emanating from this guy that told him he didn't like to be ignored. He glanced at the note and looked to see what the man had written on it.

"_Tame the Shield"_

Seth wasn't sure if he should pick up the note. _"Tame the Shield."_ Was someone working for The Authority?

"Hey!" he called out to the guy who had begun to walk off.

Immediately Seth leapt over the bench and grabbed the figure, shoving him against one of the lockers. The sound of body crashing against metal echoing through the small room. Seth pinned the man against the dark metal behind him by sliding his forearm under the man's neck whilst holding onto the man's shirt in his other hand.

"How did you know I was here?", he asked, practically screaming at the man.

The man didn't reply, and Seth shoved him against the locker, hoping that it would force the man to answer.

"Who told you to give this me? Was it Triple H? Orton? Batista? Stephanie? Who?"

Every question Seth had asked, he got no reply and the frustration was beginning to build. The man simply pointed at the note and rolled his index finger around in a circle. He was telling him to turn it over.

"You do it," Seth snapped, yanking the man towards it.

He'd have done it himself but he didn't want to risk losing the man before getting some answers to his questions. The figure picked the note up and turned it over revealing the writing on the other side. Seth frowned as he looked upon the blank piece of paper. None of it made sense.

"Adapt or perish," the figure smirked and Seth snapped.

He threw the man across the bench and watched as he crashed into the lockers opposite. He waited until the man had picked himself up and, using the bench in front of him as leverage, leapt into the air, kicking the man in his face, knocking him to the ground again. He shoved the man's head against the locker and knelt beside him.

"Who sent you?", Seth asked to no reply.

Shoving the man against the locker for the second time, Seth decided to try again.

"Who. Sent. You?"

The man didn't reply, instead he just looked at Seth and a sly smile worked its way onto his face. He had been warned that his arrival might have set The Architect off so he was well aware this was going to happen. In fact, he had been waiting for it. Seth could see he was getting nowhere so he just pushed the man away from him, stood up and began to head down the hall.

"The Shield don't need you", the man said just as Seth disappeared.

The two-toned star came to a stop and re-traced his steps.

"Say that again," Seth demanded; his voice low and cold.

Pulling himself to his feet, the man closed the distance between them and leaned towards Seth's ear.

"The Shield. Don't. Need you," he repeated.

A low growl rose in Seth's throat and before the man knew it; he was flung back into the lockers. Seth had had enough of hearing that Roman and Dean didn't need him. They did need them. More than they realised. It was like that girl had told him, he was The Shield.

"They don't need me, huh?" Seth shrieked as he began unloading a crazy amount of kicks in the man's chest, "Who planned every damn match from their debut to Payback? Me! Who's been put through table after table after damn fucking table only to have nothing but a shitty pat on the back? Me! Who has gone through months of hearing Roman fucking Reigns and Dean shitty Ambrose being chanted while no one even noticed me? Me!"

Seth picked up the figure and slammed his head onto the bench. He jumped up onto it and rested his foot on the side of the man's head.

"You think The Shield doesn't need me? Well, let me tell you something," Seth told him, raising his foot slightly, "I AM THE SHIELD AND THE SHIELD IS ME!"

Seth jumped into the air and slammed his foot against the man's his face, the sound of his jaw and few teeth breaking as his foot connected with the flesh underneath it. The man fell back onto the floor and his hood fell across his face, revealing himself to his attacker. His eyes were wide with fear as he realised who it was he had just taken out. The honey blonde ponytail that hung over the man's shoulder gave it away instantly. Shawn "The Heartbreak Kid" Michaels, what was he doing working for The Authority? Now wasn't the time for Seth to be thinking about that. Quickly composing himself, the Davenport native moved around to his locker and unlocked the door, reaching for his bag. He took out a pan and scribbled on the back of the note that he been 'delivered' to him.

"Next time you see Hunter, which I suspect will be pretty soon, you might to want to give him this," Seth said, sliding the note into the pocket of Shawn's hoodie.

The Hall of Famer couldn't even utter so much as a word and the last thing he heard were the sound of Seth's footsteps fading away as he headed into the gym for his late night workout.

**AN: And there we are with chapter five. Hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Please make sure you review and add to your favorites, it really helps out. Also make sure you read the other stories part of the Seven Deadly Sins series: **

**Envy by MellyxBrooks**

**Insanity by Cody'sxFavoritexGirl**

**Pride by RonTheRonin**

**Temptation by xeloquentxangelx**

**See you next chapter guys! **

**XxPikaSixJoyxX**


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